Because I'm trying to be careful with money - food

PolarSkye

PolarSkye

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Waitrose has a deal on at the min - 3 packs of meat cuts for £10 . . . so I bought: minced beef, stewing steak and a humungous pack of pork shoulder . . . given what's already in my store cupboard, plus what else I bought for £40 (including the meat, a few store cupboard basics and some other stuff (toothpaste, washing up liquid, dishwashing detergent and bubble bath), this is what I can get out of that investment:

- Pork stew - we're having this tonight - pork with onion, leek, celery, carrot and some spices (cloves, nutmeg and garlic)

- Beef & barley stew - beef, pearl barley, stewing steak, carrots, onion, potatoes, garlic and some red wine and herbs

- Pork rendang (Indonesian curry) - red chilli, garlic, ginger, coconut milk

- Veggie soup - mixed pulses (which I'll soak overnight and then cook) and lots of veggies and herbs and chicken stock - I'll serve this with mash

- Spag bol - mince, onion, garlic, red chilli, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, basil

- Kofta - beef, bread crumbs, onion, spices - will serve with a cucumber salad

What economical recipes are you using to feed a family? How do you make a cut of meat go a long way and what cuts are you now buying/

P
 
I go to a butcher, and get whatever is on a good offer!

This month i got half shoulder of lamb (will do a roast and then lamb hotpot with leftovers), 2 large chicken breasts (for a chicken, ham and leek pie), a bag of chicken wings (for 'sticky' chicken tray bake), a pork joint (roast pork), 20 herb sausages (casseroles, sausage hotpot, toad in the hole), 6 lamb and rosemary sausages (sausage and mash), 2lb cubed beef (beef and ale pie, beef stew and dumplings) and a gammon ham (gammon, eggs and chips!). Came to £34 - so thats at least 12 'meat' meals.

I must admit i buy mince from tesco, and bacon because its cheaper and not any less tasty.

I always whinge about how much food bills are (even though i meal plan and shop around) but to be fair, we (me, oh and daughters, 3 and 1 yrs old) eat really well. I could cut back even further but i refuse to buy the cheap rubbishy stuff and try to cook from scratch. It's healthier but definately more expensive. Always looking for cheap but healthy,nutritious meal ideas - the supermarket websites often have good ones.

Trina x
 
We're saving money be not eating meat in the week, so Mon to Fri it's jacket potatoes with cheese/ ebans/ tuna/ coleslaw and salad, fishcakes and peas, beans on toast, tomato pasta etc..

Then go for cuts like pork belly/ steak/ lamb on weekend, or spag bol, depends whats on offer! I also have more time to cook on weekends so happy to have more special meals, then quick snacky dinner in the week, saves on the calories too!
 
I think saving money can become addictive..since I discovered the Moneysavingexpert forum my eyes have been well and truly opened to how wasteful I was with food and money!

If only I had seen the light years ago, Im sure I would have alot more money! So now am owner of a breadmaker and the slowcooker has been dusted down and used! Desperately trying to not have takeaways when late back from yard and starving!!
 
trina1982 said:
I go to a butcher, and get whatever is on a good offer!

This month i got half shoulder of lamb (will do a roast and then lamb hotpot with leftovers), 2 large chicken breasts (for a chicken, ham and leek pie), a bag of chicken wings (for 'sticky' chicken tray bake), a pork joint (roast pork), 20 herb sausages (casseroles, sausage hotpot, toad in the hole), 6 lamb and rosemary sausages (sausage and mash), 2lb cubed beef (beef and ale pie, beef stew and dumplings) and a gammon ham (gammon, eggs and chips!). Came to £34 - so thats at least 12 'meat' meals.

I must admit i buy mince from tesco, and bacon because its cheaper and not any less tasty.

I always whinge about how much food bills are (even though i meal plan and shop around) but to be fair, we (me, oh and daughters, 3 and 1 yrs old) eat really well. I could cut back even further but i refuse to buy the cheap rubbishy stuff and try to cook from scratch. It's healthier but definately more expensive. Always looking for cheap but healthy,nutritious meal ideas - the supermarket websites often have good ones.

Trina x
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wow . . . all that for £34? I should frequent the butcher rather than the supermarket. We try and eat well - i.e., sustainably sourced . . . but can't afford the all organic/free range stuff I used to buy.

Also prefer to cook from scratch - much nicer than all that pre-made muck full of chemicals.

p
 
JVB said:
We're saving money be not eating meat in the week, so Mon to Fri it's jacket potatoes with cheese/ ebans/ tuna/ coleslaw and salad, fishcakes and peas, beans on toast, tomato pasta etc..

Then go for cuts like pork belly/ steak/ lamb on weekend, or spag bol, depends whats on offer! I also have more time to cook on weekends so happy to have more special meals, then quick snacky dinner in the week, saves on the calories too!
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We're big on jacket potatoes too . . . and fish cakes or rissoles. Also omelettes - it's amazing how yummy, filling and satisfying a mushroom and cheese omelette with toast is!

P
 
Get some good soup recipes - cheap and filling and you can save some of what you make and freeze for another time:) that way you don;t get bored with it:) is also a good way to use up veg:)

Definitely use a local butchers and any local markets - the amount you save on fresh fruit and veg is huge - is around 50% cheaper then the equivalent in a supermarket. Local butchers save you money as you only buy exactly what you need and will save you bits that you need for recipes etc I also get free bags of bones for the dogs;):D
 
tinap555 said:
Anything that goes in the slow cookery! I find that having 5 mouths to feed doing in the pot dishes is a lot cheaper xx
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Me too

I also pad anything like curry, spag bol, chilli, stews, shepards and cottage pie out with loads of extra veggies and lentils/beans to make it go further. I also try to make enough to freeze half for another day.

Chicken thighs or turkey steak is loads cheaper than chicken breast (and tastier) - if you like a meat fest slow cooked belly pork...crackling......mmmmmm

Cottage pie is great with a tin of baked beans added (15p specials not Heinz)

Pasta bakes - with chorizo mixed beans and tomatoes, tuna or spinach and bacon, try growing your own spinach or chard to make this realy cheap.

A piece of brisket in the slow cooker makes a lovely sunday roast alternative and if yoiu get a big poiece you can have sandwiches or cold cuts with baked potatoes and salad the next day.

on a final note buy a sack of potatos from a farmer or farm shop rather than washed ones from the supermarket - loads cheaper.
 
Liver :D cheap good for you and it goes a long way; mince together with some cheap cream cheese makes a nice pate too :)

I don't eat much meat tbh, I live off home made veg soup;

One butternut squash will make enough soup for at least 6 people, just roast until done, cool, scrape out into large pan, mix with one or two vegetable stock cubes, water, bit of chilli, salt and pepper and blend!
 
A small holder near me who has a couple of horses and a mini veg stall at the corner of his field currently has for sale 4 stone sacks of pototoes for sale, delivered for £6 - I kid you not! We are dropping all our manure with him, which is about 2-3T of poo, no straw (at his request) so I'm hoping I might be able to score a bag for less ;)
 
Stencilface said:
A small holder near me who has a couple of horses and a mini veg stall at the corner of his field currently has for sale 4 stone sacks of pototoes for sale, delivered for £6 - I kid you not! We are dropping all our manure with him, which is about 2-3T of poo, no straw (at his request) so I'm hoping I might be able to score a bag for less ;)
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One of the farm shops near us were doing 3 cauliflowers for a quid !! They were bigger than my head - I gave one away as a gift ( my mates are easy to please) we had cauliflower soup/ cheese/ curry and mash it was yum !!
 
We are eating less meat (much to my OH's disgust). I only buy to a higher env/welfare standard anyway and choose to eat less for environmental and health reasons. having said that I do look out for deals and cheaper cuts of meat too.

I'm really good at ensuring everything gets used up too. With a chicken, I will do a Roast, use the leftover meat the next day for a risotto or soup and then make stock or soup out of the carcass. Ham hocks are really good value for money - make those into a giant stew with lentils, have it cold and freeze some too for another time.
 
Never buy meat as I can't afford it and I am a very frequent visitor to my local Morrison's first thing in a morning as soon as they open (8am). They do all their reduced stuff overnight so there is a terrific choice first thing :)
 
PolarSkye said:
wow . . . all that for £34? I should frequent the butcher rather than the supermarket. We try and eat well - i.e., sustainably sourced . . . but can't afford the all organic/free range stuff I used to buy.

Also prefer to cook from scratch - much nicer than all that pre-made muck full of chemicals.

p
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Yep. The butchers is about 30mins drive away but worth it. It's Swiss Farm in Suffolk. Really recommend them - love their sausages :) I shop every 6-8 weeks normally, come out with 3 huge bags and spend about £50.

Definately check out your local butcher!

Trina x
 
JVB said:
We're saving money be not eating meat in the week, so Mon to Fri it's jacket potatoes with cheese/ ebans/ tuna/ coleslaw and salad, fishcakes and peas, beans on toast, tomato pasta etc..

Then go for cuts like pork belly/ steak/ lamb on weekend, or spag bol, depends whats on offer! I also have more time to cook on weekends so happy to have more special meals, then quick snacky dinner in the week, saves on the calories too!
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You will be a lot healthier too. My OH's cholesterol has gone down from 7.3 to 5.2 through giving up meat and poultry and only eating fish. Our food bills have gone way down too. Both of us felt much healthier within a couple of months of giving up.
 
my OH goes to Frome market about once a month on a sunday and we stock up with meat and pies and if there's some nice veg he'll get some of that too, not too much though as it doesn't last, the rest of the shopping is done in Aldi although even that is not as cheap as it used to be but is still cheaper than the big name supermarkets;)
 
You should go to the butcher for cheap cuts.

Pork cheeks for us yesterday!! Got them from waitrose, 6 for £2

Fry onions and cheeks until browned, add dry cider to cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours covered.

Serve with veg of your choice

Nom nom
 
I have taken to haunting the reduced cabinets. Last week I got so many meat bargains, I put back the meat I'd already selected. Unfortunately with OH and daughter as confirmed meat eaters, vegetarian is just not an option, they even have bacon with macaroni cheese! I really need to buy a bigger freezer, as at present mine is full of my bargain buys. I also buy loo roll at places like Pound stretcher, I got 18 rolls of Andrex for £5 the other day it was £8 in the supermarket.
FDC
 
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